US, China Reach Strong Agreement on North Korea

US Special Representative of the Secretary of State for North Korea Policy, Glyn Davies (C-R), speaks during a press conference in Beijing, China 25 January 2013. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The United States and China have agreed that any North Korean nuclear test will lead to North Korea's further isolation and set back efforts to restart regional talks.

Glyn Davies, the US special representative for North Korea policy, met with Chinese officials in Beijing on Friday as Pyongyang remained defiant over plans to conduct another nuclear test.

Davies has told reporters that he had had wide-ranging discussions with Chinese officials on "all aspects of the North Korea issue" and they "achieved a very strong degree of consensus".

"We talked about the implementations of the UN Security Council resolution and the Chinese assured us that they would of course follow and implement that resolution, and we take them at their word," he stated, as cited by The Telegraph.

North Korea threatened South Korea with "strong physical counter-measures" on Friday in relation to tougher sanctions imposed earlier this week by the United Nations.

The threat against South Korea came a day after the North said it would carry out a new nuclear test and more long-range rocket launches as part of a new phase of confrontation with the United States.

Strange one this, is there any report anywhere that the Chinese have publicly announced this agreement?, if not, it could be that China is playing a double game and telling the US one thing while intending (if the situation arises) to do something else. I would want the Chinese to go public on this so that everyone knows there really is an agreement.